Elizabethtown.

I remember back in 2004 when they were filming the movie "Elizabethtown" in my homestate of Kentucky. My mom was one of the many excited residents who used to update me regularly in emails and on the phone about the gossip surrounding the movie shoot!

"Kirsten Dunst is in town and had dinner at The Brown Hotel yesterday!"

and

"Orlando Bloom was seen shopping for CDs at Ear X Tacy!"

and

"They had movie crews at the airport today!"

At the same time, "Batman Begins" was filming here in Chicago and I remember telling them breathless tales about the things that I saw here.

I saw them assembling the Bat-Signal today!

and

I know where they're parking the Batmobile!

and

I think that they're going to blow up a fake wall in a parking garage right by where I work!

Needless to say, I was much more distracted by the local movie.

So, when the summer of 2005 came along, I completely forgot to go see the movie "Elizabethtown" altogether. The reviews weren't that great for it, too. So, it came and went and I was okay with that.

Recently though, a good friend, who is also a displaced Kentuckian, gave me the homework assignment that I had to see it. She said, "They filmed it in your hometown. You HAVE to see it." And she also let me know that when she recently saw it too, it really touched something in her. So, maybe there was something deeper, more profound going on there, after all.

So, I watched it today.

Actually, I am in the middle of watching it. I paused it to come here and begin this blog entry. And also to check the mail and to tidy up the apartment. But mainly to begin this blog entry.



It IS a good movie.
I DO like it.

There is a deep undercurrent of sadness that flows underneath the bubble and charm on the surface. There is a funeral and mourning to attend to. And a phenomenal business failure that is quietly percolating there. And I keep thinking about these things, as I watch Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst act out a blossoming romance in a place where I once lived.

I catch myself scanning the background for familiar geography. When Orlando Bloom drives to E-town (as the locals call it) for the first time, he drives in and around locations that I myself have driven in and around.

The U of L salt silos? Seen them!
The tunnel that cuts through the hillside? I used to honk my horn for the entirety of the drive through that tunnel. Most people back home still do.
The Brown Hotel? Been there.
The E-town Town Square? Been there too.

And all of those two lane roads that are lined with trees on both sides, well, I've driven down more of those than I care to remember.

Also, a girl that I kissed once in college, Kelly P., is somewhere in "Chuck and Cindy's" Bridal party. I keep scanning the background for her. Maybe she has lines coming up. We'll see.

I deeply empathize with Orlando Bloom and his alienation from this world. This culture. I feel it when I go home for visits too. There's a look in the faces of the people that I see when I go home that says, "Why don't you just stay here? We miss you. We would like for you to stay." that nearly breaks my heart. And the quiet times in the movie when Orlando Bloom is with his dad's extended family, remind me of those looks from my own family.

It's a deeply personal film for me. I connect with it in a very real way. And yes, I can see that some of the writing is a little bit corny. And I don't quite buy Kirsten Dunst (especially when she's supposed to be drunk). But she does remind me of an old friend, Mackenzie. It's like she must've met Mac somewhere and is channeling her in her characters happier moments.

I have to go back and watch the rest of the movie now. I just wanted to capture all of this, now, before I lose it.

Cheers,
Mr.B